For Indian Summer

Autumn
By Grace Paley

1

What is sometimes called a  
   tongue of flame
or an arm extended burning  
   is only the long
red and orange branch of  
   a green maple
in early September   reaching
   into the greenest field
out of the green woods   at the
   edge of which the birch trees  
appear a little tattered   tired
   of sustaining delicacy
all through the hot summer   re-
   minding everyone (in  
our family) of a Russian
   song   a story
by Chekhov   or my father


2

What is sometimes called a  
   tongue of flame
or an arm extended   burning
   is only the long
red and orange branch of
   a green maple
in early September   reaching  
   into the greenest field
out of the green woods   at the  
   edge of which the birch trees
appear a little tattered   tired
   of sustaining delicacy
all through the hot summer   re-
   minding everyone (in  
our family) of a Russian
   song   a story by
Chekhov or my father on
   his own lawn   standing  
beside his own wood in
   the United States of  
America   saying (in Russian)
   this birch is a lovely
tree   but among the others
   somehow superficial